Difference between AES67 & ST 2110-30

In-depth analysis of the relationship and differences between two core audio network standards

Although AES67 and SMPTE ST 2110-30 are often mentioned together, and ST 2110-30 is defined based on AES67, there are significant differences in their application scenarios and technical details. Simply put, AES67 is a bridge connecting different AoIP islands; while ST 2110-30 is the audio component of the modern broadcast IP production standard.

Core Difference Comparison

AES67

ST 2110-30

Definition & Ownership

AES67:AES Standard, focused on audio interoperability

ST 2110-30:SMPTE Standard, part of ST 2110 video production suite

Application

AES67:Live sound, conferencing, fixed installation, broadcasting

ST 2110-30:TV broadcasting, OB vans, studio IP production

Stream Format

AES67:Flexible, supports multiple sample rates and packet times

ST 2110-30:Stricter, typically requires 48kHz, recommends 1ms or 125μs packet time

Management

AES67:Typically uses SAP or mDNS/Bonjour for discovery

ST 2110-30:Relies on NMOS (IS-04/IS-05) for registration and discovery

Clock Sync

AES67:PTPv2 (IEEE 1588-2008) Media Profile

ST 2110-30:PTPv2 (SMPTE ST 2059-2) Profile, stricter jitter control

Same Source, Different Streams

SMPTE ST 2110-30 directly references AES67 technical definitions. This means all ST 2110-30 streams are essentially AES67 streams. However, not all AES67 streams comply with ST 2110-30 standards. ST 2110-30 is like a 'curated selection' from AES67's broad options to ensure plug-and-play stability in complex broadcast systems.

System-Level Integration

AES67 mainly solves the 'can audio pass through' problem. ST 2110-30, as a member of a large family (including video -20, captions -40, ancillary data -40), focuses more on how audio stays in precise lip sync with video and how it is unifiedly scheduled and managed in large-scale SDN networks.